State in southeastern Nigeria.
It lies along the road from Calabar to Umuahia.
Arochukwu was the headquarters of the Aro, an Igbo (Ibo) subgroup that
dominated southeastern Nigeria in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is
one of the few existing kingdoms, not only in Nigeria but in Africa as
a whole; it still practices the monarchical system of government.
Arochukwu boasts several historical tourist sites, but most notably
tourist attraction is the shrine or oracle known as Ibinu Ukpabi, or
the Long Juju (called Long Juju by the Europeans).
The Reason why this shrine stand out among the other historical sites
in the region is the role it played in the slave trade era and thus
the impact it made in Nigeria's history. The shrine is about a
kilometre long and existed from the 17th century. The shrine was
administered by a group of cultists, who were led by a chief priest.
They ran an economic and socio-political ring that effectively
controlled the region east of the Niger River, and as such had an
effect on many people even before the arrival of colonialism.
As colonial Britain began its assault on kingdoms around the River
Niger, the shrine brought these communities together as it became
something of an apex court for people living east of the Niger. Due to
the great influence of the Long Juju, shrine stewards and lower
members of the Juju cult migrated to clans south of the Niger and
settled. In their new abodes, they served as emissaries and informants
to the Long Juju. They relayed information on disputes to the shrine
and equally arranged trips to the latter and thus a Long Juju network
was established in the region. As the slave era peaked, the Long Juju
deviously used its influence in the area to profit from the
transatlantic slave trade. With the Long Juju network already
established, trading posts and slave quarters together with satellite
shrines were set up in different villages all over the region where
small litigations could be handled. Those found guilty were almost
always sent to the cave temple of Chukwu as sacrifices to appease the
Great deity Chukwu (whom the shrine symbolised). However these people
were sold to European slave merchants. Thousands met their fate in
this manner.
The Long Juju stronghold was however destroyed by the British as their
quest for colonial power led to their decision to wage war on the Long
Juju and the network it had established in the region. The mystic
Long-Juju shrine, the slave routes and other relics of the slave trade
era have become important tourist attractions in the area as a result
of what they represent in Nigeria's history.
Nice one.
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